Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Having just come back from holidays I'm fired up from all those waves. Unpacked all the boards as it rained buckets on the drive back so needed to empty out sodden boardbags and suddenly there were most of my friends just lying on the ground. I thought I'd share them with you.

From left:

6'3 Byrne Mullet with an MR twin and stabiliser set up. I know it's a Tuflite you purists out there, but it goes like shit off a shanghai and is a ton of fun.

6'6'' Lynch round pin. The board I ride the most and the one I'm on in my little shot top right. The only thing holding it back is me. ( I'm thinking of adding an extra set of FCS plugs and trying it as a quad. If anyone has any comments on the viability of the idea, please tell me.)

7' Lynch round pin. Lovely board for waves in the 6-8ft range. Creased it at Bawa at around 8ft but thankfully not busted and the repair is holding.

7'6'' Lynch for 8-10 plus Bells, Winki etc. Probably my favourite board when I find the sweet spot 'cos it is all I could want.

Missing: 8'3' Lynch pin for bigger down south up to 12 ft. Rarely get to ride it so I've stashed it at a mates in Torquay jut in case I get caught short.

8'10' Brewer. Dick shaped a bunch here about 8 or nine years ago. This one I'd wanted to buy at the time, it got sold ahead of me and I later spotted it in a surfshop in Port Campbell and picked it up for $350.00. Good buy I reckon.Last time I rode it was over two years ago in maybe 12-15ft waves (20ft plus faces, call it what you like) at Two Mile (otherwise known as Easter Reef). It's a silky ramp in on as big as I can stomach.

9'2'' Nat Young shaped by Paul Hutchinson. The only longboard I've ever owned (had it since '95 and I love it. Political correctness says only take it out on tiny days, but it is such fun at Bell around 6ft.

All these guns might make you think I'm good in big surf but I must confess I spend a lot of time imitating a sock in spin cycle.

That being said, it only takes a couple of waves per session to make a day, and like I've said before, the things you see out on days like that make it all worthwhile.

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Over three weeks (yes, we extended) it was offshore somewhere every day, never got too hot or too cold, and never crowded.

The smallest waves were 2-3 ft, the biggest close to 8, and it was never flat. If ever any of you get to visit southern New South Wales, do it.

So clean, so pristine, I was staggered. Nothing on the beaches except sand and shells, dolphins in the water, sea eagles flying by, fish everywhere, crystalline water, go there. We're going back next year.